Butcher Babies and Nonpoint at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, NV

Butcher Babies and Nonpoint bring their Kings and Queens tour to Las Vegas with support from Sumo Cyco and Islander.

Tours with multiple bigger bands are becoming more and more popular and this Kings and Queens tour with Sumo Cyco, Islander, Butcher Babies and Nonpoint is the latest to come through Las Vegas. This is the second to last show of this tour and many of the crowd saw the prior night in Los Angeles and are back for a second dose of metal. The lineup is diverse so many aren’t sure what to expect or at the very least they are unfamiliar with one or two of the bands.

Sumo Cyco kicks off the night. This female fronted punk heavy metal band has a unique sound. There is a bit of a reggae sound incorporated in it as well that brings to mind No Doubt from their “Hey Baby” time-frame. It is an interesting sound that blends really well and creates a fun atmosphere. This is highlighted by singer Skye Sweetnam who is all over the venue during the performance. She is on the bar and doing a shot, later she is in the crowd drawing the fans to the front of the stage determined to show the crowd a good time and fun show. This intensity pairs perfectly with the music and is a great way to open the night.

Islander replaced Cane Hill who had to withdraw from this tour due to injury. This is a unique choice to replace them since their sounds are very different. Islander have a sound that perfectly blends with Sumo Cyco while Cane Hill is more along the line of the Butcher Babies sound. Islander faced some challenges since coming on this tour as well which singer Mikey Carvajal explained when they came on the stage. They have had vehicle troubles and his brother and keyboard player Chris Carvajal has sprained his ankle. They do not let this hold them back. Chris has a stool but he doesn’t sit all night playing the keyboard and providing backing vocals. They are currently a four-piece with no dedicated bass player but this doesn’t alter their sound. The guitar of Eric Pedersen and drums of Andrew Fleming are highlighted. Mikey for his part is pure insanity on stage throwing the microphone stand in the air and jumping around. This nu-metal band also has hints of a reggae sound in their music but it is easy to see why they have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in metal.

It is now time for the main event. Butcher Babies are the first of the co-headliners to perform on this night. Taking the stage in almost total darkness, vocalists Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey explode with energy. At times they are literally flying through the air. It is almost chaotic in where to look because they seem to be almost everywhere at the same time including in the crowd. They have only been around since 2011 but from their loyal fan base it is easy to think they have been doing this longer. This is straight up fast heavy metal. Songs like “Burn the Straw Man,” “The Butcher” and “POMONA” really get the crowd going and they jump right along with Carla and Heidi. Their cover of Napolean XIV “They’re Coming to Take Me Away” near the end of their set is another stand-out moment. Their intensity doesn’t slow down at all from start to finish and after 14 songs the crowd is left in awe of what they just saw.

The night is going to close out with Nonpoint. Nonpoint have played heavily on the festival circuit and toured with many nu-metal bands, so the crowd is very familiar with them. They launch into “Bullet With A Name” as their opening song. Each member of this band is creating a high level of excitement for the crowd. Elias Soriano is singing at the very front of the stage in the face of the fans. BC Kochmit (guitar) Rasheed Thomas (guitar) and Adam Woloszyn (bass) are all running and jumping all over the stage and the dreadlocks are flying along with them. Even drummer Robb Rivera is different with his drum kit situated sideways allowing the crowd to see more of his playing. This energy continues as they go through their catalog and highlight new music that is coming out soon including “Alive and Kicking,” “Dodge Your Destiny,” and “What a Day.” After this intensity you would think we are done but they have one more for the crowd, their cover version of Phil Collin’s “In the Air Tonight.” This is a unique cover for this band, but it is excellent and nicely caps off the evening giving the crowd a chance to wind down after such an intense night of music.

This is the end of the tour and while sometimes that can show with bands that is not the case here. These four gave it their all and even seem slightly disappointed for the tour to end even after over two months on the road. This is a perfect show to turn people on to new bands and get the fans excited for the new music that is about to come out.

About The Author

A Las Vegas based photographer, I enjoy shooting a variety of things but my primary focus is Travel, Music, Nature and Wildlife.
My goal through my projects including Music, Event and Animal photography is to capture the candid moments that tell the story. They are singular moment of time, my goal is to take the viewer back to that point and the memories. I discovered photography is my passion. This allows me to incorporate my long standing love of music and travel into this art form. For me live music and concerts are who I am, and concerts and travel often went hand in hand. Now photography has brought these all together for me in a new and exciting way.